John Huff/Staff photographer
Dr. Richard Lasonde sets up the LenSx laser system for his patient Robert Nadeau at Northeast Surgical Care Center in Newington. LenSx is a revolutionary procedure for treating cataracts and restoring vision.

NEWINGTON — Thanks to the recent completion of cataract surgery in both of Robert Nadeau’s eyes, he’s going to be able to do something he has never been able to do before.

“I’m going to go to a cool sunglasses stand and pick out a great pair of sunglasses,” he said.

Nadeau, of Barrington, is nearsighted and all his life has been a slave to prescription glasses to correct his vision.

On Tuesday, Nadeau was at Northeast Surgical Care Center in Newington for his final cataract surgery using a relatively new technique that makes the surgery easier and in many cases much more effective.

Medical Director and Chief Surgeon at Excellent Vision Eye and Laser Center, Richard Lasonde M.D., said LenSx laser surgery is among one of the “exciting advancements” in cataract surgery in the last 20 years.

And his practice, which has several locations around the Seacoast, is the only place in New Hampshire currently using this procedure.

Cataract surgery removes the natural lens of the eye when that lens has developed a cataract, causing the vision to become blurry or cloudy. The lens is replaced with an artificial intraocular lens to improve vision.

Cataract surgery has traditionally been done using a blade; however, LenSx uses a precise laser technology to cut around the eye’s lens.

The eye, once steadied, is projected onto a large computer screen. Traditional cataract surgeries use a microscope.

And while LenSx isn’t yet a mainstream surgical procedure or even covered by most insurance plans, Lasonde said people are having it done because in most cases it leaves patients less dependent on, or completely free of, glasses.

“”Every eye is different, but with the array of intraocular lens implants available, and now the fully customizable LenSx laser, we can tailor cataract surgery for patients’ needs better than we ever could before,” Lasonde said. “The vast majority of patients who choose multifocal implants never use glasses again — not for driving, reading, or using the computer. Those who use glasses after multifocal implants generally only use them sometimes, so they are still more free from glasses than they ever have been.”

Nadeau, who was the first to take advantage of the LenSx surgery on his left eye when Excellent Vision rolled it out in May, said he’d experienced a drastic improvement in his vision in that eye.

Click image to enlarge

The LenSx laser is positioned for patient Robert Nadeau at Northeast Surgical Care Center in Newington. LenSx is a revolutionary procedure for treating cataracts and restoring vision. (John Huff/Staff photographer)

And just minutes after the surgery on his right eye on Tuesday, Nadeau said he already could see better out of that eye than he had when he came in that morning.

It’s results like Nadeau’s that have attracted more and more people to the practice for the surgery since May.

“Cataract surgery is the number one surgery for elderly people in the U.S. and the world,” Lasonde said. “And it’s been plunking along the same way since the 80s. But it’s coming along now.”

LenSx originated in New York, but is expensive for practices to offer because of the equipment.

In the northeast, LenSx is offered in Boston, Portland, Maine and on the Seacoast.

“It’s by no means mainstream, but it’s pretty breakthrough for patients,” said Dr. Vasilios Lazos, “The incisions are more precise, and you can reshape the eye to get rid of astigmatism, and when we put the lens into the eye, we can really put it where we need it to be.”

The entire outpatient procedure takes about 20-30 minutes and can cost between $1,500 and $3,000.

Lazos said people typically develop cataracts later in life and it is also caused by diabetes, genetics or any trauma to the eye.

He recommends patients who have 20/40 vision or worse and find their daily activities affected by poor vision should undergo a thorough examination to see if they might be a candidate for cataract surgery and the LenSx laser treatment.

For Nadeau, the change in his vision is an opportunity gained, and with more summertime sun on the horizon, he can certainly seize the day.

“I’m going to go to a mall and buy up a bunch of sunglasses,” he said.